Happy birthday to John Gourley, lead singer of one of my favorite bands, Portugal. The Man. If you don’t know their music, I highly encourage you to check them out. They are a psychedelic rock band who have a nice streak of making excellent albums from start to finish. As I’ve said before, their 2011 album “In The Mountain In The Cloud,” is nothing short of a masterpiece, whose songs deserve to be sung en masse in stadiums. Thankfully, their fan base is growing by leaps and bounds after their latest record “Evil Friends” was produced by uber-producer Danger Mouse.

“Evil Friends” will definitely be on my best albums of 2012 list and if you like that album, you will like ALL of their music. Lucky for you, if you are just discovering Portugal. The Man, they’ve already released 8 albums, and they are all great! John Gourley has done much of the artwork for these albums and a lot of their releases have cool and unique packaging. Since you know I like to meet the men (and women) behind the music, you’ll be pleased to know that not only is John Gourley super talented but he’s also an extremely nice guy. I’ve met him on a couple of occasions and most recently he told me that the band has quite a few unreleased songs from the “Evil Friends” sessions, so let’s hope they see the light of day! Happy birthday John! I heart you!

Portugal. The Man are definitely one of my favorite bands of the last decade. When you listen to lead singer John Gourley’s voice, you’ll hear that he’s influenced everyone from MGMT to Foster the People. Musically, Portugal. The Man’s music is psychedelic pop and I recommend ALL of their albums. They’ve been around since 2004 and have nearly released an album a year since then and I guarantee you if you check out their music, you are going to have the same reaction I had, which is falling head over heels in love with them! If you are looking for a place to start, let me recommend 2011’s “In The Mountain In The Cloud,” as I truly think the record is a masterpiece from start to finish. The band has a pretty big fan base and has been performing at large venues such as Terminal 5 in New York for several years, but their latest album “Evil Friends,” which was released at the beginning of June, was produced by Danger Mouse and Portugal. The Man are starting to receive mainstream attention. Well deserved! The guys from the band are extremely nice, which makes me like them even more. Thanks PTM so much for the great music and for being really cool to chat with. May the greatest success in the world be yours! (and may we get lots of b-sides and unreleased tracks!) 🙂

Great news! Portugal. The Man have a new album on the way. The record will be called “Evil Friends” and is coming out June 4, 2013. The record will be produced by Danger Mouse and the video for the title track can be seen on Portugal. The Man’s official site.

I have a new band crush! It’s Alaska-originated and Portland-based Portugal. The Man. They played a way sold out show at Music Hall of Williamsburg as part of their Jagermeister tour on April 20, 2012 (420!) and it was sensational! As you will see below in the photos, they had one of the best light shows I’ve ever seen (and coming from me who sees hundreds of bands a year, that speaks volumes!) Varying lightbulbs were draped all over the stage, and for every song, the light display was displayed in every color, pattern and variation. Pairing the light show with their psychedelic rock sound and the fact that Jagermeister sponsored the tour and on 4/20, the international day of Marijuana – and the audience was generously partaking in the festivities – there were times where it felt like I was in another dimension!

Portugal. The Man

Aside from thanking the crowd, lead singer John Gourley didn’t say much between songs, but considering Portugal. The Man played 20 songs in their two hour set, that hardly mattered. The band is getting a larger following, but according2g, their music needs to be heard and played in stadiums! Every song has a hook that is just begging to be sung by thousands of people in unison. I know this for certain as the whole of Music Hall of Williamsburg sang along to every track and it induced chills many times.

John Gourley

Almost every song off Portugal. The Man’s most recent album “In The Mountain In The Cloud” was played, with the exception of the wonderful track “Senseless,” and they also dove into their back catalog (and they have SEVEN albums already) for tracks such as “The Woods” and the show closer “And I.” A rockin’ cover of The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” was also played and the “na na na” section of “Hey Jude” was also thrown in at the end of “Sleep Forever.” People, including myself, pretty much lost their shit when songs such as “So American,” “Floating (Time Isn’t Working My Side),” “Got It All (This Can’t Be Living Now)” and “All Your Light,” which was the opening song, were played. Talk about hook filled songs that sound incredible live! Wow.

Portugal. The Man

After seeing Portugal. The Man live earlier this year and having such a great time, I got all of their albums, and they are great. If you are looking for a rock band to break you out of the doldrums of the current music scene, I highly recommend immersing yourself in Portugal. The Man’s music. You won’t regret it! Thanks guys for a great night and for a show that will definitely make my best shows of 2012 list.

See the set list after the jump as well as a photo of my encounter with John Gourley after the jump.